The Story of Ava Jacobs
In 2007, Ava Brae Jacobs was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma (Brain Cancer of the Cerebellum). She was just a baby of only 13 months. The doctors gave Ava little hope (only 5%) for survival or a normal life. Even if she survived the cancer treatment, because of her tiny size and where the brain tumor was located; the risk was huge that treatment would lead to major brain damage and severe developmental issues.
The crush of helplessness, confusion, and pressure to make decisions quickly put an unimaginable strain on the family as they struggled to cope with every parent’s worst nightmare.
In a recent interview, Jeremy, Ava’s father describes: “That moment changed our lives down to the very core of our being. The journey we traveled brought us to our knees, shattering our paradigms of everything we knew as “normal”. By chance we discovered an alternate approach not available at our hospital.” Ava became the first child treated at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas with Proton Radiation. TODAY, Ava is a cancer-free, a college freshman, and soccer athletic —Nothing short of a walking miracle for a child that originally had such little hope for survival or a normal life.
The road to Ava’s recovery was long, winding, and filled with moments when the Jacobs were pushed to the breaking point, it became clear to them, that if their family pulled through the ordeal they would dedicate themselves to helping other families.
The Jacobs’ Family ordeal ultimately led to the birth of BraveHearts for Kids —The many sleepless nights filled with anxiety and fear were spent hoping for the best each step of the way filled them with a desire to somehow help others with thier experience.
The family describes how the emotional, social, and financial toll deeply impacted their entire family in ways that others who have not shared a similar crisis cannot fully understand. Amy, Ava’s mom, said: “I would have given anything during those first few months to be able to speak with any parent of a child that had survived the same diagnosis”.
They made up their mind to do what they could to help other families facing Pediatric Cancer which led to the creation of the One-on-One Mentoring Program and the other core services provided by BraveHearts for Kids.
Be inspired —Watch as 18-year-old Ava tell her story Below: